Does… – “Colossal Composition Catch Up – Chapter Two” – DM Does The Music News – Thursday 23rd June – Music Newsletter

Welcome to the second chapter in this colossal composition catch-up and with the bit between our teeth, it’s all steam ahead as we delve into some of the European D.J.’s that are doing it for us and making magnificent music. But we will also be taking a trip across to the Middle East, giving some deserved attention to an impressive Israeli who recently rocked London with his brilliant beats, while we will also be sharing more of those terrific tracks that are knocking on the door of our top choices of 2011. With no less than eight D.J’s/Producers to cover, we have our work cut out, but having picked on some pretty heavy hitting stars of the international scene to share, the quality as well as the quantity should shine through, so let’s get to it.

Barca Boy

First up is a talent who we first spotted in the early part of last year, having stumbled on his name & works while focussing on Parisian pal Leomeo, the associations with Barcelona’s Javier Medina quite strong, not least as they have collaborated on a number of studio projects including the amazing “Nirvana Dream”. Being born & based in the Catalonian capital, Javier, like many of his compatriots, finds himself in a real melting pot of D.J.’s & producers and within a scene that is recognised as one of the most vibrant in both the Spanish & European circuits. With residencies in his career including the cities Dboy & Devotion clubs, Javier’s big break came late last year when he was signed to super club brand Matinee, a move which has seen him play to audiences in The US, right across Europe & even down in Australia, while with the massive Circuit Festival just over a month away, Mr Medina will be playing an intrinsic part in proceedings and one that should thrust him into the spotlight with some of the world’s biggest promoters & music industry figurehead’s.

So, whilst the future is looking bright, this change in stature has not changed Javier in the slightest, he continuing to devote many hours of his spare time into studio projects & recordings, two recent track releases very much in the Medina tribal/tech style, one which we will come onto in a moment, but the other a re-work of Pagano’s track “Perfect World”, Javier’s touch taking the track on those pseudo tribal & trance directions that are so evocative of his style. But it is his two compilation releases that get our major attention, the latest “Neo Tribal” a full-on Medina onslaught that pure & unadulterated tribal, so one very much for the purists, while we are more inclined to his “Happy Tech House” mix that treats us to more uplifting tones & vocal injections within the tribal undertones that are trademark Javier, plus is a mix very reflective of the sets he is playing right now. So, to see what sort of sounds are rocking the Matinee dancefloors & to grab superb successive slices of the Medina magic, go now to http://soundcloud.com/javier-medina/ & take your choice. Plus watch this space for the next in our special music focus features, when Javier will be our name in the frame.

This Is The Sound Of C

Now to that Leomeo track we promised to cover from chapter one, plus a tune that has been given the remix treatment by a number of stars including, of course, Javier Medina. “The Sound Of C”, first released in January last year, was inspired by the genre of music from Belgium called “New Beats” and one which influenced Leomeo’s style in his informative years. With remix versions released just over a month ago breeding new life into this terrific track, we predict “The Sound Of C” getting the kind of attention it deserved at the outset, Kult Records having given both Tom Stephan’s, Bruno Kaufmann’s & Javier’s versions exposure on their label, samples of which you can grab for yourselves by going to http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/leomeo-the-sound-of-c-1, for Tom’s version, while Bruno’s is out at http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/leomeo-the-sound-of-c-bruno & Javier’s “Congo Mix” version is up at http://soundcloud.com/javier-medina/leomeosoundofcremix. Plus, Leomeo has been at it himself, serving up a “French Riviera” remix which we love & is available at http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/leomeo-the-sound-of-c-french, leaving you with four versions to choose from, fabulous.

Redant On The Radio

Now, onto another D.J. based in Barcelona plus one we have featured a few times in focuses & newsletters and for good reason as Steven Redant is not only an accomplished talent behind the decks, but his recent studio works have been attracting a lot of attention too. Now when we say based in Barcelona, this Belgium born beatmaster is hardly ever there these days, as it seems Steven’s demand is such that he continues to live the jet set life, gigs seeing him tour the globe, recent trips including Australia, Florida & a handful down to Brazil & Mexico. Add to that his European commitments which included a showing at the Beyond vs La Demence party here in London last month and there is absolutely no stopping the radiant Mr Redant as he continues to wow his audiences & impresses us with the versatility & vitality of his sets that make him such a dynamic draw. Plus, he is surely to prove a hot ticket on the forthcoming La Demence cruise, which, as one of the clubs main residents, Mr Redant will feature large.

But despite his hectic schedule, Steven does get time to dive into the recording studio every now & then, more to lay down podcasts from the live sets he plays right across the globe, although his latest offering being a slight departure as it marks his appearance on Gaydar Radio, the mix entitled “Los Angeles To Hawaii”, packed with towering tech & tribal tunes ala Steve style so well worth a listen/download at http://stevenredant.podomatic.com/. But  he also gets his hands dirty with track remixes too, generally with recording partner Lenz Garcia, although his latest one, Rachel’s “You Don’t Know Me” also includes a collaboration with friend & fellow D.J./producer Phil Romano, this  tribal triumph by the trio very evocative of the Steven sound, one we absolutely love and is available in sample form at http://soundcloud.com/stevenredant/rachel-you-dont-know-me-romano. Plus, we know Steven has been back in the studio recently, working on a new track with Lenz Garcia, so keep your eyes peeled right here for news on that.

Guareber Guy

Now before we leave Barcelona behind, we couldn’t move on without mentioning the incredible Ivan Gomez, who, of all the D.J’s/Producers we know (and we know a lot), seems to be the busiest in the recording studio, turning out track after track & mix after mix that leaves us breathless in admiration of his feverishly hard work & dedication to his art. And being one half of the mighty Guareber Recordings label, we often come across collaborations with Nacho Chapado, although Ivan also works closely with the likes of Fran Ramirez, as well as on solo projects a-plenty. Add to this a long list of gig dates both at home in Spain & across Europe and we can’t quite fathom out just how he finds the time to fit everything in, although he seems to with consummate ease & skill. Mind you, come July, Ivan will be spending lots of time over in Rome for the summer smash, Gay Village, while he will also be an intrinsic part of the bearfest gathering in August, along with continual residency appearances for club, Gorgeous I Am.

However, we simply have to share some of those masses of studio recording releases with you, stand-out tracks for us the simply spectacular “You Drive Me Crazy”, a creative combo of progressive, tech & tribal beats with vocal undertones & uplifting beats that make it hard to beat, while the so called “Guareber Anthem”, the Gomez & Chapado re-work of the Free Radicals Formation track “World”, is another exceptional example of the talents of the immense Ivan. But the list goes on, with no less than eight tracks released since we last featured Mr Gomez on one of our newsletters, along with three compilations too, his latest, a “June Promo Mix”, packed full of pumping progressive tech & tribal tunes that glued from minute one. Add to that tracks “Yejaaa” & Funkagain”, both due for release in the next few days and life in the Ivan Gomez recording world remains non-stop. So, with so many sounds to choose from, the best way to get your complete fill, is to simply go to http://soundcloud.com/ivangomezmusic & take your choice from the rich picking of prolific Gomez productions.

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